Dashcam
A dashcam (dashboard camera) is an onboard camera that attaches to the vehicle's interior windscreen by either a supplied suction cup mount or a tape mount. Dashcams continuously record the road ahead whilst the vehicle is in motion or driven on the roadway.[1] Dashcams often provide video evidence in an event of an accident. Various types of dashcam are available on the market, ranging from basic video cameras to ones which also records parameters such as date/time, speed, G-forces and location.
Dashcams are widespread in Russia[2] as a form of sousveillance, additional evidence in court, and as a guard against police corruption and insurance fraud.[3] They have been called "ubiquitous" and "an on-line obsession", and are so prevalent that dashcam footage was the most common footage of the 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor,[4] which was documented from a dozen angles. Thousands of videos showing automobile crashes, close calls, and attempts at insurance fraud have been uploaded to video sharing websites like YouTube,[2] an oft-gruesome genre which has generated its own Russian lexicon[5] such as:
- слабоумие и отвага (slaboumiye i otvaga): "Courage and dementia"
- железобетонное очко (zhelezobetonnoye ochko): "Anus of Reinforced Concrete" (i.e. "one whose anus is made of reinforced concrete", an honorific for an especially skilled driver reacting adequately to an emergency situation).
Dashcams are forbidden by law in Austria,[6] Switzerland[7] and Spain. In Australia recording on public roadways is allowed as long as the recording does not infringe upon one's personal privacy in a way that may be deemed inappropriate in a court of law.[1][8]
References
- ^ a b "Dashcams 101: Information Guide". DashCams Direct. 2014-02-09. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
- ^ a b Damon Lavring (15 February 2013). "Why Almost Everyone in Russia Has a Dash Cam". Wired.
- ^ Galperina, Marina (2012-06-13). "Why Russians Are Obsessed With Dash-Cams". Jalopnik.com. Retrieved 2014-02-12.
- ^ "Russian dash cam video: From stunning to bizarre". CBS News. 2013-02-18. Retrieved 2014-02-12.
- ^ "Dash-cams: Russia's Last Hope For Civility And Survival On The Road - ANIMAL". Animalnewyork.com. Retrieved 2014-02-12.
- ^ "Private Videoüberwachung: Datenschützer warnt vor Selbstjustiz". help.ORF.at. 2013-05-04. Retrieved 2014-02-12.
- ^ "Guidelines on video surveillance in vehicles (Dashcams)". edoeb.admin.ch. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
- ^ "Road Transport Act 2013". Austlii. 2013-12-01. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
External links
- Reviews of dashcams for the European market (german)
- DashCamTalk discussion forums
- Latest dashcam news and videos